MWRT – 2025 – Columbia Falls Day 3
Going To the Sun Road
Today was both amazing and bit disappointing. Disappointing only because this park is so popular in the summer that we were not able to find any parking at our primary point for the hike we planned to make, Logan’s Pass. This is a point high up the Going To the Sun Road, about an hours drive from the park entrance. This road get’s really narrow as it winds around the mountain peaks and can be a bit harrowing as you face on coming traffic on the one side and a shear mountain drop off on the other.
There are wonderful little old timey red buses that offer chauffeured rides across the GTTSR which I think would be really cool to try next time we come. As we passed a few coming the opposite way at slow speed, I could hear the drivers giving all the passengers a monologue describing the scenery.
We arrived at Logan’s Pass visitor center expecting it to be crowded and would have to wait for a spot to park but we circled around for half an hour with no luck. We’ll be driving all the way across the GTTSR tomorrow to relocate the the eastern entrance near Babb Montana and hopefully will find a place to park. There is a hike I would dearly love to try called Hidden Lake Overlook Trail. There are reported sightings of Big Horned Sheep and Mountain Goats along that one. Which would be very cool to see.
We went on a little farther and found a spot we could pull over to have a tailgate lunch. There really isn’t any place you can be here that isn’t beautiful. After a sandwich we turned back and retraced our steps. As we passed by Logan’s Pass, the park rangers had completely blocked the entrance so there wasn’t any use to try there today. We did pull over at a little spot that had a waterfall next to the road which was hikable so I made my way up the hill to get a closer look. There was still ice frozen along the edge of the stream that was steadily melting away. It will probably be mostly gone by the time the next freeze comes.
We made our way out of the park and found our way back to our little cabin which is nestled up against a mountain range that was shining in the setting sunlight as we arrived. Our AIRBNB host came by to service the water softner and we had a chance to get aquainted. Brett is a retired local police patrol chief whom has decided to supplement retirement through short term vacation rentals. He was very nice and gave me a few tips for local restaurants and even invited us to come by their camp ground to join their cookout. We had plans but really appreciated the hospitality. We wish them the best as we were so impressed with the little place we stayed.
